Home Media SCU Leavey Blog The Benefits of a Silicon Valley Education

The Benefits of a Silicon Valley Education

19 Apr
Voices of the Online MBA: Gabe Limon
Voices of the Online MBA: Gabe Limon
Voices of the Online MBA: Gabe Limon

Video Transcript

Gabe Limon:

My name is Gabe Limon. I'm enrolled in the online MBA program at Santa Clara. I decided to do the MBA program because I want to take my career to the next level. I'm a branch manager with a staffing agency in San Bruno that lead a team of recruiters to find employees for different employers in the area. And I took this MBA because I wanted to know how to lead my team better and provide them with the tools to succeed in doing business in Silicon Valley. The reason why this program being in the Silicon Valley is important to me is because the Silicon Valley is the tech center and the innovation center of the world. You actually have professionals that have been in that world, teaching what they know and also teaching what they're currently researching as well. So we get to learn about the latest news and the latest trends here in the Silicon Valley.

We are the center of creativity and technology here in the Silicon Valley. We run the way the world communicates, and I really feel that if you can make it here, and if you could get educated here, then you could apply those skills to many other places all over the world. Coming into this, knowing that I was going to take an online course, I had thought that it might be impersonal because it's online. I think that's the stigma attached to online courses, but how Santa Clara does it is they put you in an environment where you're forced to collaborate with everybody. It's a necessity to collaborate with your peers in order to get the most out of this program. Having conversations about the coursework has really triggered a lot of thoughts in my mind about just taking positive risks in the future and applying these skills to my current job and future opportunities as well.

I want to be a game-changing leader, not only in this area but all throughout California. I want to do something that makes a difference in people's lives and in the way we do things on an everyday basis. Leaders need to be well-rounded, whether it's interacting with people from different backgrounds or actually trying out different roles within the company so that you can know each and every aspect of the business so you could effectively lead others to do what it is that your business does. Leaders aren't just born. There are skills and practices out there that you can apply to your own life to effectively become a leader. I get to work with some of the most brilliant minds in Silicon Valley here in this program. And just being around them, I feel is going to make me strive to become better and also learn more about who they are and what they do and apply it to my own life.

Voices of the Online MBA: Gabe Limon, Current Student

What led Gabe Limon to apply to Santa Clara University's Online MBA program is simple: He wanted to advance his career as a recruiter and a leader on a team of recruiters.

But his ultimate decision to enroll at SCU ran deeper: He wanted to learn the skills needed to lead his team to success recruiting and retaining employees in Silicon Valley businesses.

"The reason why this program being in Silicon Valley is important to me is because Silicon Valley is the tech center and the innovation center of the world," Gabe explained. "You actually have professionals that have been in that world teaching what they know and also teaching what they're currently researching as well, so we get to learn about the latest news and the latest trends here in Silicon Valley."

As a university at the heart of Silicon Valley, Santa Clara challenges students to tap into the innovative nature of the region from wherever they may reside at the moment, allowing you to get advanced skills that may not otherwise be available to you in your area.

"We are the center of creativity and technology, and here in Silicon Valley, we run the way the world communicates, and I really feel that if you can make it here and if you can get educated here, then you could apply those skills to many other places all over the world."

Hear more about Gabe's quest to become a game-changing leader by tapping into Silicon Valley innovation in our video above.

As Gabe discusses in our video above, studying online, even in our technology-savvy society, carries a bit of a stigma with it, but the times are already changing. Read more about the many benefits to earning your degree online.